The Steelers and Browns have met 132 times since their first game on Oct. 7, 1950. Though the Browns dominated the first 20 years, the Steelers rallied back starting in the ‘70s and currently are winning the all-time series 73-58-1.
The best game in Steelers-Browns history is probably the 36-33 win in an AFC wild-card game on Jan. 5, 2003, that involved the Steelers coming back from a 24-7 deficit. That said, the amount of winning the Steelers have done at the Browns’ expense over the years have led to plenty of victories — some close, some most definitely not — that have already been forgotten in the grand scheme of NFL activity.
What the Steelers and Browns have produced together, though, is a lot of decidedly weird games. Before the Steelers and Browns meet again on Thursday, let’s reminisce about some of those strange matchups:
5. A cold night in Cleveland
They say the NFL is an “any given Sunday” kind of league because all it takes is the right set of circumstances for even the worst teams to beat the best. That was never more evident than on Dec. 10, 2009, when the Browns beat the Steelers 13-6 on a Thursday night.
Not only was the game on a short week, but the Steelers were in the midst of a four-game losing streak and it was a freezing night with minus-12-degree windchill at kickoff. The Eric Mangini-coached, Brady Quinn-led Browns took advantage of all those factors to hand the Steelers their fifth and easily most embarrassing loss in a row.
4. Blowout at Three Rivers Stadium
The one thing the Browns can always hold over the Steelers is the time on Sept. 10, 1989 — the opening day of the season — when they destroyed Pittsburgh 51-0 in Three Rivers Stadium. It’s still the worst loss in Steelers franchise history.
Fun fact: Cleveland quarterback Bernie Kozar didn’t throw a touchdown in that game and only 21 of their 51 points were offensive touchdowns. The Browns didn’t need much help from their offense, as Steelers quarterback Bubby Brister only completed 10 passes for 84 yards and three interceptions.
The weirdest part of this blowout is that the Steelers would go on to beat the Browns barely over a month later in Cleveland. What a weird sport.
3. Terry Bradshaw gets knocked out
One of the scariest moments in Steelers history occurred on Oct. 10, 1976, when Browns defensive end Joe “Turkey” Jones sacked Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw by picking him up and slamming him to the ground head-first. Bradshaw said the hit gave him a “spinal concussion, a contusion” and he had “no feeling” in his body for two days.
The Browns won that game 18-16, but more importantly, Bradshaw would recover from that horrifying injury and play until an elbow ailment sidelined him for good in 1983. It’s a notable game in Steelers-Browns history not for the final score, but for giving Steelers fans a collective heart attack.
2. Fake 84 reverse for the win
When the Steelers and Browns met on Sept. 24, 1978, at Three Rivers Stadium, both teams were undefeated and looking to take control of the AFC Central Division. The game was a slugfest from start to finish and went into overtime tied 9-9. It also included a few strange special teams moments, like the Steelers completing an onside kick early in the game and then fumbling a kickoff return in overtime.
The Steelers eventually won on a play called “fake 84 reverse,” which involved Bradshaw handing the ball off to running back Rocky Bleier, him giving it to receiver Lynn Swann for a reverse and Swann flea-flickering the ball back to Bradshaw, who hit tight end Bennie Cunningham for a 37-yard touchdown.
Steelers-Browns games used to be so much fun. Now all we get is ...
1. A truly depressing tie
Sometimes, an NFL tie can indicate two teams were playing at the peak of their powers and both probably deserved to win. This Steelers-Browns tie on Sept. 9, 2018, was the polar opposite.
The Steelers could barely muster enough offense to send the game to overtime tied at 21-21. The extra time in this game was some of the sloppiest football you’ll ever see and included two missed potential game-winning field goals, one from each team.
Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who’s now the Chargers backup QB, only threw for 197 yards, but the Steelers’ defense allowed him to rush for 77 yards and a touchdown. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethsliberger racked up 335 yards of offense, but he also threw three interceptions, including a potential game-loser in overtime.
As far as weird Steelers-Browns games go, this one was by far the weirdest.
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxel222
First Published: November 14, 2019, 1:00 p.m.
